Gender diversity in radiology: Shedding light on the 256 shades of grey

Introduction: Despite medical school cohorts being composed of approximately 50% men and women, trainee positions in Clinical Radiology remain predominantly occupied by men. This study aims to identify reasons behind the gender gap, explore why more women are not pursuing a career in Clinical Radiology and to assess if there are gender differences in these reasons.

Methods: Prospective multi-centre study using a voluntary, anonymous questionnaire aimed at senior Medical Students and Junior Doctors.

Results: A total of 318 participants responded to the questionnaire - 197 women (61.9%), 114 men (35.8%), 4 non-binary (1.3%), 2 preferred not to answer gender (0.6%), 1 I/they (0.3%). The most common reasons for not considering Clinical Radiology as a specialty include 'perceived limited patient contact' (62%), 'never/rarely exposed to it' (59%) and 'too lonely' (49%). Reasons with the largest gender discrepancies were 'too technology heavy' and 'limited patient contact', both cited more frequently by women. Most respondents indicated that their opinions of Clinical Radiology may change with more exposure during medical school, more patient contact and more mentorship.

Conclusion: This study has revealed multiple reasons why women may not pursue specialty training in Clinical Radiology. Notable differences were found in the reasonings provided by men and women. Limited Clinical Radiology exposure and mentorship in medical school result in a lack of interest in this specialty as a career option. A proposed solution is to offer more medical school lectures and more junior doctor rotations to debunk stereotypes that may be negatively impacting opinions on Clinical Radiology. More mentorship of Medical Students and Junior Doctors, particularly from women, may also help decrease the gender gap.